Apple AirPods (3rd generation) vs Apple AirPods Pro (1st generation)

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AirPods (3rd generation) compared with AirPods Pro (1st generation)

	AppleAirPods (3rd generation)	AppleAirPods Pro (1st generation)
Overview
Released
Released	October 2021	October 2019
Sound
Type
Type	Open-ear	In-ear
Noise cancelling
Noise cancelling	No	Yes
Transparency mode
Transparency mode	No	Yes
Spatial audio with head tracking
Spatial audio with head tracking	Yes	Yes
Bluetooth codecs
Bluetooth codecs	SBC and AAC	SBC and AAC
Lossless over USB-C
Lossless over USB-C	No	No
Chip
Chip	H1	H1
Drivers
Drivers	Custom high-excursion Apple driver and high dynamic range amplifier	Custom high-excursion Apple driver and high dynamic range amplifier
Noise cancelling detail
Noise cancelling detail	–	Outward- and inward-facing microphones; noise cancellation adjusts 200 times per second; pressure-equalising vents
Audio features
Audio features	Personalised Spatial Audio with dynamic head tracking; Adaptive EQ; Audio Sharing; AAC and SBC Bluetooth codecs (SoundGuys)	Adaptive EQ; Spatial Audio with dynamic head tracking added after launch; Audio Sharing; AAC and SBC Bluetooth codecs (What Hi-Fi?)
Hearing health
Hearing health	–	Conversation Boost, Live Listen, headphone levels and Headphone Accommodations
Battery
Listening time (maker's claim)
Listening time (maker's claim)	Up to 6 hours	Up to 4.5 hours
With the case
With the case	Up to 30 hours	–
Wireless charging
Wireless charging	Yes	Yes
Battery life detail
Battery life detail	Up to 5 hours with Personalised Spatial Audio enabled	Up to 5 hours with ANC and Transparency off; more than 24 hours of listening with case recharges (Apple's claim)
Charging case
Charging case	MagSafe case supports MagSafe and Qi wireless charging or Lightning; Lightning-only case introduced in 2022 has no wireless charging	Original Wireless Charging Case supports Qi and Lightning; MagSafe Charging Case added in 2021 also supports MagSafe
Fast charging
Fast charging	Around 1 hour of listening after 5 minutes in the case	Around 1 hour of listening after 5 minutes in the case
Design
Weight (each earbud)
Weight (each earbud)	4.28 g (better)	5.4 g
Water and sweat resistance
Water and sweat resistance	IPX4	IPX4
Bluetooth
Bluetooth	5.0	5.0
Controls
Controls	Force sensor for playback, calls and Siri; “Hey Siri”; no stem volume control	Force sensor for playback, calls and switching ANC/Transparency; “Hey Siri”; no stem volume adjustment
Microphones
Microphones	Dual beamforming and inward-facing microphones; skin-detecting sensor, motion- and speech-detecting accelerometers	Dual beamforming and inward-facing microphones; dual optical sensors, motion- and speech-detecting accelerometers
Fit and ear tips
Fit and ear tips	Open-ear design without silicone tips	Silicone tips in S, M and L; Ear Tip Fit Test
Case weight
Case weight	37.91 g	45.6 g
Dimensions
Dimensions	Each earbud 30.79 × 18.26 × 19.21 mm; case 46.40 × 54.40 × 21.38 mm (height × width × depth)	Each earbud 30.9 × 21.8 × 24.0 mm; original case 45.2 × 60.6 × 21.7 mm (height × width × depth)
Water resistance detail
Water resistance detail	IPX4 for earbuds and case; resistance can diminish over time	IPX4 earbuds; Wireless Charging Case and MagSafe Charging Case are not sweat or water resistant
Works with
Works with	Apple devices with current iOS, iPadOS, watchOS, macOS or tvOS; Bluetooth audio with older Apple software and non-Apple devices, with limited features	Apple devices with current iOS, iPadOS, watchOS, macOS or tvOS; Bluetooth audio with older Apple software and non-Apple devices, with limited features
Colours
Colours	White	White
In the box
In the box	AirPods, Lightning or MagSafe charging case, Lightning to USB-C cable, documentation	AirPods Pro, charging case, three sizes of silicone tips, Lightning to USB-C cable, documentation